Part 23 (1/2)

It did not take long to get their boots and overcoats on and hurry out to the barn.

”Sure enough, she is getting drownded!” exclaimed Harry, as they saw the poor little calf standing in water up to her knees.

”Where is all the water coming from?” asked Bert.

”I don't know,” Harry answered, ”unless the tank upstairs has overflowed.”

The boys ran up the stairs and found, just as Harry thought, the tank that supplied all the barns with water, and which also gave a supply for the house to be used on the lawn, was flowing over.

”Is there any way of letting it out?” asked Bert, quite frightened.

”We can open all the faucets, besides dipping out pailfuls,” said Harry. ”But I wish John would get back.”

Harry ran to get the big water pail, while Bert turned on the faucet at the outside of the barn, the one in the horse stable, another that supplied water for the chickens and ducks, and the one John used for carriage was.h.i.+ng. Frisky, of course, had been moved to a dry corner and now stopped crying.

Harry gathered all the large water pails he could carry, and hurried up to the tank followed by Bert.

”It has gone down already,” said Harry, as they looked into the tank again. ”But we had better dip out all we can, to make sure. Lucky we found it as soon as we did, for there are all father's tools on the bench right under the tank, besides all those new paints that have just been opened.”

”Here comes John now,” said Bert, as he heard the barn door open and shut again.

”Come up here, John!” called Harry; ”we're almost flooded out. The tank overflowed.”

”It did!” exclaimed John. ”Gracious! I hope nothing is spoiled.”

”Oh, we just caught it in tine,” Harry told him, ”and we opened up the faucets as soon as we could. Then we began dipping out, to make sure.”

”You were smart boys this time,” John told him, ”and saved a lot of trouble by being so prompt to act. There is going to be a flood sure.

The dam is roaring like Niagara, and they haven't opened the gates yet.”

”I'm glad we are up high,” Bert remarked, for he had never seen a country flood before, and was a good deal frightened at the prospect.

”Hey, John!” called Freddie from the back porch. ”Hey, bring me some more nails, will you? I need them for my ark.”

”He's building an ark!” laughed Bert. ”Guess we'll need it all right if this keeps on.”

Harry got some nails from his toolbox in the carriage house, and the boys went up to the house.

There they found Freddie on the hard cement cellar floor, nailing boards together as fast as his little hammer could drive the nails in.

”How's that?” asked the little fellow, standing up the raft.

”I guess that will float,” said Bert, ”and when it stops raining we can try it.”

”I'm going to make a regular ark like the play one I've got home,” said Freddie, ”only mine will be a big one with room for us all, besides Frisky, Snoop, Fluffy, and--”

”Old Bill. We'll need a horse to tow us back when the water goes down,”

laughed Harry.